Diddy Kong Swings into New ‘Super Smash Bros.’

Returning veterans have not been in short supply as Nintendo prepares to release the next Super Smash Bros. games later this year. Recently the Big N announced that newcomer Little Mac will be joining the fray for the first time in franchise history, but there are still a number of past fighters that have yet to be confirmed for the fight title. While iconic scrappers like Ness and Captain Falcon are still missing in action, another past character has made his return known.

Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of the Super Smash Bros. franchise, confirmed via the games’ official website that Diddy Kong will be making his return in the pair of upcoming titles. This announcement was made in unison with the release of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for the Wii U, and the game’s release — combined with Nintendo’s trend of announcing characters alongside the release of new games — made Diddy’s confirmation seem like a no-brainer.

Judging solely on the newly released screenshots, it appears that the chimp-tastic sidekick will retain many of the moves that were established in Brawl. Everything from his jetpack to his signature peanut popgun make their triumphant return, but the primate’s limbs appear to give Diddy Kong some additional reach in his attacks which should make him a better overall character. The newfound elasticity of Donkey Kong’s little buddy aside, it’s good to see the character make his return.

Diddy’s confirmation is a nice bonus to accompany the already spectacular Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (check out Game Rant‘s review), and even more veterans will be confirmed in the coming months. With Yoshi’s New Island scheduled to launch on the 3DS next month, a confirmation of the inclusion of everyone’s favorite Nintendo-owned dinosaur for the next Super Smash Bros. is incredibly likely.